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Track 02 - Higher Power | Music of the Spheres

gai

By gai
in Music of the Spheres

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Gideon_Mx

Gideon_Mx

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13 hours ago, Captain Crieff said:

not sure, I read it somewhere on Twitter I think but yeah, it fits

Chris is singing "Just wanna go up higher, can we". Which I think is also a bit more realistic.

Since the "I'm like a broken record" sung backwards line isn't confirmed(???) + the official lyrics aren't released yet?

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the_escapist
the_escapist

10 minutes! I just want to reiterate that it is great to share the start of a new era here at Coldplaying! I feel grateful that many many years ago I became a fan of this band that has given

Gideon_Mx
Gideon_Mx

Funny to see people compare Higher Power with songs like Birds or Hurts Like Heaven, because those songs are actually very different to be completely honest here. The only thing that this song does ha

I ran away
I ran away

At this point I'm not sure what to think of the song tbh. I like some parts of it, like the intro and the Eastern Asian vibes and background chants - more of that influence on the album, please! But o

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TheBigBadBono

TheBigBadBono

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I know many here are complaining about Jonny's guitar being too underutilized in the song - and it's true - but he's not totally absent. There are little nuggets and guitar licks throughout the song's opening choruses and verses and even it does sound rather unrecognizable due to the effects on the guitar there's no mistaking the guitar in the final chorus - which arguably should have been there the entire time, to be honest.

Overall my thoughts on the song are rather mixed - yes, it's a tad bit generic and in line with the resurgence of 80s' synthpop throughout the past 5/6 years (excellent records include Lorde's, Carly Rae Jepsen's, Dua Lipa's, and The Weeknd) but if it had to be a generic song at least it isn't any of the drivel Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons, Lil Nas X, and other pop artists make - it's a "good" kind of generic if such a thing exists.

My main problem with the song is the lyrics - arguably some of their dullest and strangest lyrical choices - a random shoe being untied lyric for no reason, a lazily written bridge, over-repetition of certain lyrics, etc. These are arguably some of their worst lyrics - yes, the song still sounds heartfelt but Ghost Stories' songs (which had some of their worst lyrics) had much better lyrics - even Adventure of a Lifetime, Up&Up, and Everglow, pop songs with cheesy lyrics, feel better lyrically than this.

But there is more to this song than meets the eye. I did mention that it's a rather generic song - which is true to an extent, but there are weird and random little things that do catch my attention - the backwards lyric (drocer nekorb a ekil me), weird asian-style chanting vocals in the bridge and first verse, the song's hesitancy to fully burst into a wave of euphoria like Hurts Like Heaven or Birds, weird guitar effects and little licks, that signature bit of ambience at the end that either signals a transition into the next song or some ambience supplied by Brian Eno/Jon Hopkins, the rather quiet and subdued ending rather than a loud bang like ETIAW, ASFOS, or Paradise - the song may be generic but there's more to process than one might expect.

Now to get to the good stuff - the production and melody. The lyrics are awful, but much of the song's happiness and euphoria is found in those signature, uplifting, and ascending melodies. The Instrumental above shows how good the song could be and - should different lyrics be applied - it could be a really good piece of music rather than just a fun pop tune to dance to. The instrumentals and melodies feel so uplifting and euphoric that it really gives one the feeling of speeding through space at "a million miles an hour". And btw, Guy's bass SLAYS in this song. His bass work in EL was some of if not his best with more pronounced and powerful bass lines and the bass is so far forward in the mix that it feels. so. good. Vocally this is also one of Chris' better outings recently - sure there's probably autotune but it feels more natural than his vocals in ASFOS, Magic, Paradise, AOAL, or any of their more recent work. His falsetto at the last chorus is a particular high point. 

Lastly, the production in this song. When I heard max Martin would be producing this song I raised my eyebrows. In fact, I still do, but for entirely different reasons. Those lazy lyrics are signature Max Martin writing, but it's impossible to ignore how good the production here is. Music Critics from NME and even Anthony Fantano have praised the mixing - which, for the first time since 2008, isn't overproduced in a Coldplay pop song. Synths are vibrant and bouncing all over the place, the bass as I mentioned is so loud but well-mixed, the drums, while electronic, are also upbeat - my only gripe is how soft Jonny's guitar and the Love Choir's vocals are - if you have multifaceted and talented musicians then don't bury them in the mix. But other than that, excellent mix.

Overall, I have more to like about the song than to dislike. It's no Arabesque, Trouble in Town, or A L I E N S, which contain that progressive experimentation that many of us were hoping for, but for a radio-friendly summer pop song it's quite alright. It's not breaking any boundaries and that's a bit of a disappointment, and though the lyrics give me worry for the upcoming album, I have a feeling many of us will be surprised by the album. I think - just like this song - there's more to the upcoming album than meets the eye.

OVERALL SCORE: 6.5/10

 

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Captain Crieff

Captain Crieff

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11 hours ago, Gideon_Mx said:

Chris is singing "Just wanna go up higher, can we". Which I think is also a bit more realistic.

Since the "I'm like a broken record" sung backwards line isn't confirmed(???) + the official lyrics aren't released yet?

I can hear the "can we" but I don't hear "just wanna go up higher at all". Maybe we'll get a better idea with the live performances in a few days

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HowCouldIForget

HowCouldIForget

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1 hour ago, TheBigBadBono said:

Lastly, the production in this song. When I heard max Martin would be producing this song I raised my eyebrows. In fact, I still do, but for entirely different reasons. Those lazy lyrics are signature Max Martin writing, but it's impossible to ignore how good the production here is. Music Critics from NME and even Anthony Fantano have praised the mixing - which, for the first time since 2008, isn't overproduced in a Coldplay pop song. Synths are vibrant and bouncing all over the place, the bass as I mentioned is so loud but well-mixed, the drums, while electronic, are also upbeat - my only gripe is how soft Jonny's guitar and the Love Choir's vocals are - if you have multifaceted and talented musicians then don't bury them in the mix. But other than that, excellent mix.

Anthony Fantano is my favorite music critic. Genuinely shocked to hear he has something good to say about Coldplay. ? I remember him criticizing EL for not being political enough and I'm like we're lucky we got as many songs that were as we did, guy. This isn't like Rage Against the Machine.  

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IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8

IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8

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Why everyone worked up about lyrics? Music to me, is all about sound, (this is 100% true with reversed music) lyrics are words. Then again, some lyrics can be relatable in the world with people, I understand that. But that’s not what I look for to enjoy music, it’s all about the sound, instruments, vocals. Etc. so I don’t know what are bad/lazy lyrics to be honest. So when people say that? It goes over my head. I will never understand them...

Then again, lyrics in parody songs can be funny...but that’s a whole different story. Anyways I give Higher Power a 8/10

 

Edited by IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8
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TealAppeal

TealAppeal

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Think I can finally settle my thoughts on this song.

For me personally it's lacking. My rating is roughly an 7 out of 9.

 

I think think song needed a musical change in the song a kin to what `Jump` did (see below). 

•

 

I also feel like this song was released pre-maturely, if they had more time refining it I'd probably rate it more favorably. It's hard to explain however when I listen to it now nothing truly stands out to me. I don't want to use the term "Generic" but that's how I feel about the song right now.

The ending also left me unsatisfied, I wanted an epic build up of sorts... something more grand to Cap off the song and it just ends on an unsatisfied note for me.

Don't want my post to be nothing but criticisms... the pros were that I enjoyed the dance sequence and how addicting some of the lyrics are. A YouTuber by the name of SymbolVision made a video covering what he thought some of the hidden meanings were to the music video of Higher Power and that video did make me happier if Coldplay had some of these ideas in mind. I will watch them play tonight on American Idol just not too overjoyed with this single, I can only hope I will enjoy some of the other songs released in the future.

 

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Gideon_Mx

Gideon_Mx

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12 hours ago, Captain Crieff said:

I can hear the "can we" but I don't hear "just wanna go up higher at all". Maybe we'll get a better idea with the live performances in a few days

Have you listened to it with headphones on?

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MarckozZ

MarckozZ

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https://www.bcbanzou.com/shows/293525.html

Guys, I'm interested on having the Higher Power instrumental track on the highest quality available, and found this chinese website that allegedly has the instrumental, but I can't play the preview, can anyone help me with this? Can you play the preview there? Maybe we can buy the track too...

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I ran away

I ran away

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1 hour ago, MarckozZ said:

https://www.bcbanzou.com/shows/293525.html

Guys, I'm interested on having the Higher Power instrumental track on the highest quality available, and found this chinese website that allegedly has the instruental, but I can't play the preview, can anyone help me with this? Can you play the preview there? Maybe we can buy the track too...

Saw this the other day, seems to be the same size/quality:

https://dbree.org/v/246095

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I ran away

I ran away

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I really don't get why neither the supposedly so great producer Max Martin nor anyone from the band felt the need to put Jonny's guitar in the actual song (in the first half, and then turn it up in the second half). This is beyond frustrating.

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Eskapist

Eskapist

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4 minutes ago, I ran away said:

I really don't get why neither the supposedly so great producer Max Martin nor anyone from the band felt the need to put Jonny's guitar in the actual song (in the first half, and then turn it up in the second half). This is beyond frustrating.

 

I guess i'm used to it now because they've done this quite often since MX ... so the frustration is short. This song will be a perfect opener for future Coldplay lives ♥

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CP-EST

CP-EST

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I'm actually like wtf??? after hearing this live. Some of the guitar sound in live performance of this song is the most interesting sound ever from Jonny. I imagined there would be much more guitar, but couldn't imagine sounds like that. And look at that energy in this performance! Last time I remember getting that kind of reaction from hearing Charlie Brown live for the first time.

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JM-42

JM-42

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2 hours ago, Eskapist said:

 

I guess i'm used to it now because they've done this quite often since MX ... so the frustration is short. This song will be a perfect opener for future Coldplay lives ♥

Yup. HLH, Charlie Brown, Major Minus are perfect examples of this. Oh well, the good thing is the song sounds even better live!

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Bauk

Bauk

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Ah, can't wait to watch this performance after your reviews. 

In the studio version, I just love the way Chris' voice sounds in this part: "I'm so happy that I'm alive, happy I'm alive as the same time as you". When he sings like this, that's the way I love his voice the most. Don't exactly know how to describe it. My husband doesn't hear any differance and thinks I'm crazy ?

 

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Captain Crieff

Captain Crieff

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8 hours ago, Gideon_Mx said:

Have you listened to it with headphones on?

Yes lol, with brand new ones even. And I can't hear it in the live version either... pretty sure it's really the backwards line. I just don't know how on earth people deciphered that without the official lyrics, from hearing him sing it I would have assumed it was some foreign language :shrug:

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